Edward Homer Jahnigen, 81, Bethlehem Steel...

Edward Homer Jahnigen, a retired Bethlehem Steel Corp. supervisor, died Monday of respiratory failure at Howard County General Hospital. He was 81.

The longtime Ellicott City resident began his career at Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point plant as a typist in 1936. He was supervisor of the plate production scheduling department when he retired in 1978.

Born and raised in the Pimlico section, Mr. Jahnigen was a 1933 graduate of Calvert Hall College and earned an associate's degree at what was then Baltimore Junior College.

An avid racing fan, he worked part time at the betting windows at Pimlico Race Course.

He was an officer of the St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church Holy Name Society, and he was a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church of the Resurrection, Paulskirk Drive at Chatham Road in Ellicott City, where a Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

His wife of 54 years, the former Ella L. Haubroe, died in 1994.

He is survived by three sons, Edward A. Jahnigen of Jarrettsville, Timothy Jahnigen of Mount Airy and Hugh Jahnigen of Hanover, Pa.; a daughter, Teresa Lindquist of Orlando, Fla.; 17 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Ernest M. Soden Jr., 66, FHA civil rights director

Ernest M. Soden Jr., a former regional civil rights director of the Federal Highway Administration, died of heart failure Saturday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He was 66.

A Baltimore native and resident of the Ashburton community, Mr. Soden worked for the highway administration from 1965 to 1988.

He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in 1948, the Cortez Peters Business School in 1950 and the former Morgan State College in 1965.

From 1950 until joining the highway administration, he held a variety of jobs, including positions with the Baltimore Housing Authority, the U.S. Postal Service, Prisoner's Aid Association and Baltimore Urban League.

Survivors include three sons, Ernest Soden III, Rodney Soden and David Soden, all of Baltimore; two daughters, Gwen Soden and Cindy Soden-Harcum, both of Baltimore; his mother, Margaret Soden-Allen of Baltimore; a brother, Cylburn Soden of Silver Spring; two sisters, Shirley Briscoe and Rita Johnson, both of Baltimore; and two grandchildren.